Merin's eyes were sticky as they stared at him. Wherever Red went, he could feel her studying him.

He knew she was worrying because of the twisted feeling through their bond.

He didn't kill his brother, so there wouldn't be any consequences for Cem's death. Merin was worrying for nothing. Red had taken several pages from Akkad's schemes.

Red met with Ceylan nobles, and although there were talks about what could happen to end the war, Red had no part in it.

Red's hands were clean. Each Emperor wove a spell of unity into every Rutilus. This binding prevented them from killing each other or their father. Only when the Emperor died could each brother turn on each other.

Reu was right in that he needed to pick his course of action and stick to it. If he let the Habrin Empire rot from the inside out, it would be complete chaos and disorder. It would be better for him to take out the support beams one by one so that it would be done with order when it finally collapsed.

Red had no desire to become the Emperor. His only goal was breaking the Habrin Empire and undoing his Habrin legacy for good.

The fact that Red's heart was still beating proved that he avoided the spell. "Only five to go." He said.

Merin's concern through their bond grew, but he ignored it to step on Cem's body. His fallen brother had lavishly placed jewelry all over his person. Some of the finery had already been taken by robbers who were going body to body stealing.

Red was here to collect what scavengers couldn't: the Rutilus ear seal. That shiny piece of gold was something each of his brothers had rubbed in his face. Red didn't have one because his naming day was canceled. He wouldn't have become the nameless prince if the ceremony had gone through.

Red ripped the gold away and studied that Habrin royal seal on the shiny piece of metal.

He could make a necklace out of them by the time he was done. Or he could melt them down and create his own seal. The possibilities were endless.

Red left Cem's body for the Ceylans to deal with. He grabbed Merin and the rest of his people and started the journey.

If Merin hadn't healed the Ceylan's sacred animals, they wouldn't have been left off so lightly. Her new title of Beyza granted her prestige among them.

Merin was still his shiny talking good luck charm.

Red knew that an uproar would break out if he returned with news of Cem's defeat. It was better to go from province to province to eliminate all his brothers slowly.

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Red couldn't wait for his father to fall first like his brothers were. He needed to thin their numbers when they least expected it.

Red would meet Reu in the east to sow discord and lure two of his brothers out to take care of their provinces. His alliance with Ceylan could be repeated with the proper leverage with them.

Merin's pregnancy complicated the journey back. She couldn't walk or ride animals, so they had to get a cart to roll her around.

Red knew they would need to part halfway through the journey, and a tightness he didn't like grew in his chest. Despite how he felt their parting was brusque. There wasn't a need for fuss, though Merin cried.

Red knew they would see each other once the east fell.

True to plan, Red met Reu in Baris. This eastern province of Habrin was the second to last country to fall under the Habrin umbrella. It wasn't an easy transition, and if the Emperor hadn't murdered half of the citizens with his bare hands, there was no way they would have fallen.

Baris was one of the oldest countries with ties to the Old World. Their land was shrouded in mystery and lies because outsiders couldn't easily find it. Their borders were defined by trees that touched the sky. A fog filled the crevices between each tree, and this wall separated them from the rest of their world. Any outsider who entered would wander endlessly until they died.

Red stuffed the dragon under his hood and told him to keep his fires to himself. He hadn't seen the dragon spit flames, but at the rate it grew and glowed, it could be any day. Baris was not the place to have a fire. Fire was banned, and the people ate only vegetables and anything they could harvest.

Baris had a particular weakness because of their connection to nature. The trees they were famous for were sacred and a weakness. When someone was born in Baris, a tree sprouted. During that person's life, the tree will grow as they do, and if the tree dies, the person dies as well.

When the Emperor of Habrin first came to conquer Baris, he scoffed at the ban of fire. He then decided he would have a roast no matter the cost.

It only took a spark for the Emperor to make the forest burn. The Emperor enjoyed his meat amid the screams and deaths. This event fostered an eternal hatred towards Habrin from the people of Baris. It wasn't helped that when the flag of Habrin was placed, with the land conquered, Baris fell under the Elan curse.

The scorched plains of Baris were daunting to see, but sprouts were visible under some of the ashes. Baris were reproducing to replenish their numbers, and Red would take advantage of that.

"Hiding in plain sight is a horrible choice," Merin said as she stared out the window. They were finally back to where all the trouble began. It had taken a month of speedy travel, and she was even closer to popping.

She was bored of sitting around the capital of Habrin, and she missed the palace. The expansive windows were fun to look out at. She spent a long time tastefully creating a welcoming courtyard in which to frolic.

Now, she was trapped in a strange, ugly place that needed to be worked over. They didn't return to last place because Red wanted them to be cautious. When he collapsed in her arms, he didn't bother covering up his tracks because he was so out of it.

Red was right to be cautious, but she spent a lot of time renovating that place. Now, she had to start all over again.

"Letha, move it there, not there!" She said, pointing at the correct placement for a nice-looking vase.

Zoltan said something under his breath, and she used her ire to turn her focus on him. "It's inside out!" She said. "Flip it and try again."

Merin directed them until the place was suitable for the night. She didn't like dust, dirt, or ugly things. Where she rested her head at night needed to be presentable; she spent too many nights in the dirt with bugs and smells.

Her pangolin had his little yard to dig holes in, and her growing cub was able to roam in the high arches of the building or outside in the shaded trees.

The only thing missing was Red. She really missed him.